Final Research Paper

"The Lion King,"-an adult film?

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Introduction & Summary:

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Within the film, "The Lion King," there is an array of adult themes and references that intentionally meant to only be understood by adults, of which went directly over the minds and understanding of children. At the same time, allusions to historical events and other adult or older generation movies were portrayed, allowing an adult audience to enjoy this animated Disney movie and question the actual meanings behind the actions of these memorable moments. The focus on gender equality among the lions is also a striking feature of "The Lion King," as the female dynamics and lack of authority are quite interesting from a more mature and adult perspective. Does this movie really attempt to target the youth?

Disney's "The Lion King," a classic childhood film, teaches the concept of the "circle of life" and the moral, "good always conquerors evil." Opening with the birth of a new lion, Simba, and a beautiful orange sunrise over the Serengeti, the movie sets the scene for a perfectly, aesthetically pleasing scene. However, it quickly shifts to Mufasa's brother, Scar, with the dark mane and evil eyes, who is plotting to murder his brother to become king of Pride Rock. Conning Simba into a stampede, Scar knew Mufasa would chase his son to his death. Upon Mufasa's death, Scar told Simba it was his fault and that his family would shun him; therefore, Simba chose to flee the Pridelands.

While Scar stole the executive position, pushing the pride lands and all its inhabitants into famine and destruction, Simba met friends in the outskirts if the Serengeti and moved on until his old friend Nala found him, begging for his return. When Simba saw the spirit of his father appear in the night's sky, he finally became aware of Scar's transgressions and planned the attack for his kingdom. Upon his return, Simba, a now strong and able lion, he turns the hyenas against Scar and fights him until he falls to his ultimate demise. The Pridelands quickly return to their former glory as Simba and Nala marry and bear a child to regenerate the "circle of life." The magnificent sunrise at the close is a symbol of a positive future.

Compare to WWII:

This superficially childhood flick is actually embedded with mature references that truly put the movie into a different perspective for an adult. Scar's "Be Prepared" scene where he trains the hyenas to be his loyal followers in his plan to kill the king is plagued with references to both World War II and Hitler's rise to dictatorship and reign. With the goose-stepping soldiers representing the Nazis, Scar is also creating a master race and a "shining new era," where he promises, "Stick with me, and you'll never go hungry again!" With Scar providing handouts and food, he is creating a welfare state for the "gang" of hyenas. This concept of a master race, the Aryan race during World War II, and a new era, one that does not include "sub-humans," is prevalent through Scar's plan to make an entire race of hyenas with no "sub-animals" to conflict with his dictatorship.

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Scar's "Be Prepared" song also has some interesting similarities to Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will" propaganda film on the Nazi party in 1934. Scenes from day 1 as well as day 3 of this World War II film strikingly resemble the happenings of Scar's speech to the hyenas. During day 1, the figure of Hitler could be seen over Nazi soldiers marching down a street below him from his German car just as Scar watches over his hyena soldiers, marching in the same direction. During day 3, "Hitler then addresses the Youth, describing in militaristic terms how they must harden themselves and prepare for sacrifice" (Triumph of the Will Wikipedia). Scar also plans a sacrifice of the king and possibly even Simba, and the title of his theme song during this lesson is "Be Prepared," just as Hitler orders his military to prepare for the eminent war the jewish people.

Negative Connotations & Cultures:

Another interesting phenomenon is Scar's rise to power and his hatred for the Pridelands. Young viewers may not notice the symbolism in Scar's background as he plans to destroy Mufasa and take over Pride Rock, but behind him is a clear crescent moon shape that is not a naturally occurring contour. Muslim countries portray the Crescent Moon design on several of their flags and it has become a known symbol of Islamic countries both nationally and internationally. At the same time, Scar rises into the sky on a rock formation that has striking resemblance to a steeple or, more specifically, a minaret on a tower of a mosque. This definitely associates negative connotations with Islamic countries.

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Pride Rock could be interpreted as the Jewish Holy Land or just merely the Jewish people and Scar and the hyenas could be the Nazis during World War II, while on the other hand, Pride Rock, again the Holy Lands, could be on the brink of losing itself to the Islamic countries. Both these representations of "The Lion King" represent a dominant power attempting to take over and destroy the Jewish people. Although Walt Disney died years before premier of this movie, it is interesting that, as a known Anti-Semitic, both possible ideas of this film embodied similarities to two cultures that greatly conflicted with the Jews. "In making generalizations, the Nazis and Islamic fundamentalist have a common enemy in the Jewish people" (Fry). Obviously, at the conclusion, these greater powers were defeated by Simba's coterie, emphasizing the triumph of good over evil.

Adult References:

Within the context of the film, certain dialogue is actually quite entertaining; however, there are several instances when certain characters make references to other, adult films that are not understood by children. For example, in the scene where Pumba approaches and confronts the hyenas, one of the hyenas yells, "Hey! Who's the pig?" Pumba then responds several times with, "Are you talking to me?" This quote is a famous line by Robert De Niro from the movie, Taxi Driver, and is a line only adult viewers would catch, but is still somehow found amusing to the young.

In this same seen, after the hyenas rudely refer to Pumba as a "pig," Pumba bellows, "They call me Mister Pig!" This line is supposed to be a play on the notorious In the Heat of Night quote, "They call me Mister Tibbs!" This 1967 film dealing with race and murder is far beyond the comprehension of a child, but is found humorous when paired with a talking, animated warthog that can more commonly be found passing gas and singing "Hakuna Matata" with Simba and Timon.

Gender Inequality:

Through a feminist perspective, "The Lion King" explores the lack in female influence because it is easy to hone in on the situations where a male was needed in order for the future of the African Serengeti to remain fertile and prosperous.

Gender in "The Lion King" brings about another fascinating viewpoint because males represent all the leader positions in the movie, while females are cast and trademarked as procreators and the gatherers of the food supply. Although in reality female lions do hunt meat while males wait to be fed, there seemed to be a definitive separation between the roles of the genders throughout the film. After Simba flees the Pridelands, the lionesses, including Nala and Simba's mother, remain exceptionally passive while their land continued to become more desiccated and desolate in the hands of Scar. Although they had the numbers to clearly overpower Scar, they remained defenseless until Simba returned as the "hero" and leader even though he had spent his previous years becoming less sensitized to his surroundings. "But no matter: he functions as the Leader - and without a Leader, even groups who possess all of the apparent power are in reality helpless" (Roth 15-21).

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Males generally seem to attain the roles as all-powerful figures, while the female voice remains increasingly minimal throughout the sequence. The only situation where the female lions were able to achieve major strong voice was when Sarabi questioned Scar's authority at the end of the movie. However, it still took a male to actually finish Scar off and save the future of the Pridelands. The minute Simba regains the kingdom, the water returns to the watering hole, the color becomes vibrant again, and the "circle of life" continues. "Male power becomes sanctioned by the cosmos, secure even in the face of apparent obsolescence" (Roth 15-21). The movie portrays the spectacle that females, especially Nala, cannot live without males in their lives because they are both too weak and unable to rule without their grand authority.

Conclusion:

"The Lion King," although characteristically childish and has altogether positive morals for young children, is entrenched with adult themes and references that generally escape a child's understanding, but are not exactly appropriate for the young viewers it is supposed to target. Throughout the film, references to more mature movies, eras, and cultures are made that intentionally go beyond a child's understanding and make complete sense to well-rounded and informed adults.

Gender schemas are also created that place females into generalized roles, such as child caregivers and the bearers, while males are "heroes," constantly saving the day. Casting females in roles that give them little authority is almost demeaning because several lionesses could have conquered Scar easily; however, they could not until the homecoming of Simba. Upon his return, Scar was no longer in control, and the lions were able to restore their kingdom back into Mufasa's beautiful empire. With his return, the rains came back, the hyenas went back to the elephant graveyard, where they "rightfully" belonged, even though they redeemed themselves by finishing off Scar, and Nala was able to live happily again.

The movie closed with a beautiful new lion cub alongside a foreseeable positive future ahead, all thanks to Simba, the "courageous" male lion that found his roar. Behind its moral-filled facade, adult-targeted indications left parents questioning how childlike and appropriate this film truly was for its elementary-aged toddlers. Is this movie really for adults?

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Works Cited:

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ENG1131 Home Page.

Blog Home Page.

Hypertext Close Reading: "How to Tame a Shrew"

Comparative Analysis

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